Erik and Lyle Menendez may get a retrial as Kim Kardashian calls for their release
Kim Kardashian has called for the release of the infamous Menendez brothers who murdered their parents three decades ago after the success of a new Netflix show.
United States
Don't miss out on the headlines from United States. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Kim Kardashian has called for the release of the Menendez brothers after the success of a hit Netflix series directed by her friend and collaborator.
The push for Erik and Lyle Menendez, who were convicted in 1996 of murdering their parents Jose and Kitty Menendez in their Beverly Hills mansion, comes after the new evidence was revealed in Ryan Murphy’s Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story
In an op-ed for NBC News and in an accompanying Instagram post, Kardashian referenced the new revelations that the brothers were allegedly sexually abused at the hands of their father.
“We are all products of our experiences. They shape who we were, who we are, and who we will be. Physiologically and psychologically, time changes us, and I doubt anyone would claim to be the same person they were at 18,” she said
“I know I’m not!”
Kardashian called for their life sentences to be “reconsidered”, saying if the outcome would have been different if the crime had been committed and trailed today.
She also referenced the trial of OJ Simpson, who was defended by her father Robert Kardashian.
“More than four months after the Menendez mistrials, O.J. Simpson was charged with the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman,” she writes. “Then, eight days after Simpson’s acquittal, opening arguments began in Erik and Lyle’s second trial,” she said.
However, this time, the judge had changed the rules: both brothers were tried together before a single jury, much of the abuse evidence was deemed inadmissable, and manslaughter was no longer an option.
NEW TWIST IN MURDER CASE
The Menendez brothers could potentially get a retrial or re-sentencing over the murder of their parents almost 35 years ago, after authorities revealed new evidence was being reviewed.
Erik and Lyle Menendez were convicted in 1996 of murdering their parents Jose and Kitty Menendez in their Beverly Hills mansion.
The case could lead to a retrial after Los Angeles County DA George Gascon said his office was reviewing evidence that was not permitted in their trial, and also decide if the case should be considered for resentencing.
It comes after the success of Netflix’s documentary series Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, which aired last month.
The evidence presented to the district attorney’s office consists of a newly discovered letter one of the brothers sent to a relative months before the murders, describing his father’s alleged sexual abuse, as well as allegations by former boy band member Roy Rossello, who alleged in a docuseries last year that José drugged and raped him as a teenager in the 1980s.
“We are not ready at this point to say we believe or do not believe this information,” Mr Gascon said in a press conference.
“We are here to say we have a moral and ethical obligation to review what has been presented to us.”
Erik Menendez’s lawyers say the allegations corroborate that he was sexually abused by his father, who was an entertainment executive.
The district attorney was careful to reiterate that authorities still believe the Menendez brothers were “clearly the murderers” in the case.
A hearing on the matter has been scheduled for November 29.
The brothers were handed down life sentences for shooting their parents in 1989.
Lyle and Erik, then 12 and 18, respectively admitted they shot their parents but said they feared their parents were going to kill them to prevent information about their father’s long-term sexual molestation of Erik being disclosed.
Jose was shot six times in the back of the head, while his wife Kitty has been shot 10 times, including in the face.
More Coverage
Originally published as Erik and Lyle Menendez may get a retrial as Kim Kardashian calls for their release
The Aussie and Hollywood stars we lost
A number of our beloved stars took their final bows this year. Here, we reflect on some famous lives well lived in Hollywood and across Australia.
Trump moves to hit pause on law threatening TikTok ban
The US President-elect has filed a brief to the Supreme Court in a bid to pause a law that would ban TikTok the day before his January 20 inauguration if it is not sold by its Chinese owner.